Key members of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) have testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), during a hearing focused on identifying opportunities for expanding the recycling and reuse of electronics within the U.S.
During the hearing, "Improving Capacity for Critical Mineral Recovery through Electronic Waste Recycling and Reuse," ISRI members Craig Boswell, president and co-founder of HOBI International, Inc. and Ajay Kochhar, president, CEO, and co-founder of Li-Cycle underscored the essential role of ISRI members in recapturing critical minerals and the accompanying strategy aimed at reducing U.S. reliance on global manufacturing supply chains – stressing the growing demand of new electronics and how efforts to recapture critical materials must keep pace with production.
"The evolution and constantly shifting information technology market has been truly breathtaking during the past few years," Boswell says, noting the growth has led to challenges in the U.S. "These challenges could see even more dramatic shifts in the industry in the upcoming years and impede the ability of the industry to grow to meet the ever-increasing demand . . . It is vital that manufacturers increase their focus on sustainability . . . to ensure these innovative products that improve our lives are easily disassembled, reused, and ultimately recycled. Designing these products for sustainability and recycling is both good for the bottom line and for the environment and is essential in realizing the tremendous benefit that recovered products represent in the critical mineral supply chain."
"We believe that establishing policies and incentives to support environmentally friendly recycling solutions and encouraging automakers and battery manufacturers to use recycled material are vitally important to support the clean energy transition," agrees Kochhar. "These actions will be critical to accelerating the successful future of this emerging industry, an industry which is essential to the future of our planet."
Boswell and Kochhar urged members to keep the essential recycled materials industry at the forefront of future discussions surrounding evolving policies to address emerging challenges around critical minerals recycling and the global supply chain.
